By Gus Saltonstall
A candidate forum in the NY-12 Congressional race to replace longtime Rep. Jerrold Nadler will take place Thursday on the Upper West Side.
West Side Democrats, which was named the most powerful political club in New York in 2024, will host the event, which is both free and open to the public.
The forum will happen at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Goddard Riverside, at 593 Columbus Avenue, between West 88th and 89th streets.
“Having all the candidates in one room really gives you a sense of who they are,” Christine Annechino, President of West Side Democrats, told West Side Rag in a statement. “You can read articles, campaign materials, and listen to interviews — but seeing them together, at the same time, answering real questions from the community they want to represent, tells you a lot more than anything else.”
The candidates taking part in the forum, as confirmed by Annechino, are Alex Bores, Laura Dunn, Jami Floyd, Micah Lasher, Alan Pardee, Jack Schlossberg, Nina Schwalbe, and Matthew Shurka.
Cameron Kasky, an activist and survivor of the Parkland High School shooting, dropped out of the race last week.
The event will not be a debate-style format; instead, each candidate will have the opportunity to deliver a short speech one by one before fielding questions from members of the West Side Democrats. There will not be a video option for the event.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Nadler is a member of West Side Democrats, along with other Upper West Side elected officials, such as Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Councilmember Gale Brewer, and Assemblymember and candidate in the congressional race, Lasher.
In 2020, Community Free Democrats, Ansonia Independent Democrats, and Park River Independent Democrats formed to create West Side Democrats, which covers the Upper West Side’s Assembly Districts 67 and 69.
Before Nadler’s tenure in the Assembly began in 1977, he was a member and briefly the executive director of the above-mentioned Community Free Democrats.
West Side Rag will be at the NY-12 candidate forum in person to cover the event, as well.
Read More: The Race to Replace Longtime UWS Leader Jerry Nadler Is Very Crowded
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Where’s George Conway? Is he too scared to appear alongside real Democrats on the Upper West Side?
George has a conflicting event that night (I know him).
Scared? You’ve got the wrong guy
Probably. I got an email from Conway where he wrote “I voted for Donald Trump – now I’m running to defeat him” Sorry, George, That tells me your judgement isn’t wasn’t all that great
This is true but anyone can make a mistake. George probably also made a mistake many years ago in assessing the character of the woman he eventually married and had his children with and because of Trump after decades together they divorced. I have voted for people of both parties and come to regret it later.
The typical UWS progressive purity test. Enjoy living in your bubble.
Just read this (https://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2026/01/when-you-live-in-right-wing-bubble-you.html) and thought of you. Keep the faith!
Scruples can be such an irritant, can’t they? Blessed are those who manage to do without.
That he worked for him so closely for so long tells one even more about his judgment and character — and that now, suddenly, after all this time, he lashes out at James and Bragg more still! Pass.
I look forward to an informative engagement followed by the election of the machines selection.
It’s 2026. How can this not be livestreamed?
yes- I’m disappointed it will not be live streamed.
$1000 bet that West Side Dems is endorsing Lasher!
The most experienced candidate? Yeah makes sense
Alex Bores isn’t experienced enough?
Is there a virtual option for this event for those who cannot attend in person?
“The event will not be a debate-style format; instead, each candidate will have the opportunity to deliver a short speech one by one before fielding questions from members of the West Side Democrats. There will not be a video option for the event.”
Will the meeting be online?
Please clarify the title to say, Democratic candidates or “The First Democratic Candidate Forum”. I know this is a solid D area, but the reality is that we have Independent candidate also running, including me. And I plan to give the person who wins the Democratic primary a run for their money. I will be announcing my candidacy soon.
Where is George Conway. He should be heard.
He is a really smart guy who has a real understanding of how to operate in Washington. He is determined to defeat Trump’s agenda
Nadler’s tenure in the Assembly began in 1977? That’s insane and should be illegal. If you can’t do the math that 49 years. We need term limits, we need sanity
Manhattan politics can feel like a cult!